Page 107 of To Kill a King
With a sigh, Aliya grabbed the key and retreated up the steps.
The chamber was...well, pink. Her bed, the focal point of the space, hid under a pale rose comforter fluffier than most mattresses she'd slept on. The four-post frame sported gossamer drapes hanging all the way to the floor. Thick fuchsia and white rugs encircled the whole affair.
No other furnishings adorned the room, no wall hangings or tapestries. A small window overlooked an alley behind the building. She drew the salmon-colored curtains over the glass.
With a tentative knock on her door, a young girl popped her head inside. “Pardon me, lady.” She opened the door and dragged an oversized metal tub into the room. “You wanted to bathe?”
Aliya nodded.
The servant smiled. “I'll bring the water right up.”
Half an hour later, Aliya leaned her head back against the rim of the basin and sighed as the heat loosened her muscles. The soap scratched and didn't lather well, but at least it smelled decent. Some sort of lemon verbena mixed with mint.
The hair rinse was orange and jasmine—the same scent she’d noticed near the front door. They also provided a bottle of almond-scented oil, for rubbing into her skin after.
When she finished, she'd be mistaken for a perfumery.
She didn’t care. It was better than the alternative. Soon she could crawl into the fluffy bed and collapse.
Dunking her head, she washed the cleanser away.
From the other side of the wall, rhythmic thumping started, along with obviously exaggerated moans.
No way... She sat up and replayed the scene from downstairs in her mind.
Oh, no. She buried her face in her hands as it heated. This was no inn. And people had witnessed her walking into this establishment. In broad daylight.
At least she didn't appear her usual self. If Elessan ever found out, she’d never hear the end of his teasing. She envisioned him trying to hold back his laugh, like that first night as she figured out the bed roll.
She threw a glance at the door through narrowed eyes. There'd been no mention of payment, or the cost of the room. Surely they didn't expect her to...
She’d make sure she locked the door as soon as she finished her bath.
Speaking of baths, this one was starting to chill.
Reaching into her core, she pinched off the smallest amount of magic and wrapped her fist around it. The power warmed and within moments, the water steamed again.
Aliya groaned and, ignoring the rhythmic pounding on their shared wall, closed her eyes and lay back.
Where should she hunt for the Mage Underground, and that odd little gnome, Jalius, who had healed her? Maybe, before she convinced him to rally the mages to her cause, he’d heal the blistering iron burns on her wrists.
Knock, knock.
She jumped as her eyes flew open. Tepid liquid sloshed over the edge of the basin. She must have drifted off.
“Dinner, lady,” came the soft voice through the door.
Thankfully, the thumping from the other side of the wall had stopped.
Stepping from the tub, she wrapped the thick terrycloth dressing robe around herself and cinched it tight at the waist. Padding across the rug with wet feet, she cracked the door. The same servant who had prepared her bath stood with a tray of cubed potatoes and a steak.
Aliya opened the door, and the other girl stepped inside, setting the food on the bed. “I can clear everything out if you’re finished, lady?”
She nodded. “Thank you. But please leave the oil.”
Nodding, she unlatched the window. The breeze danced against Aliya's damp skin, raising goosebumps. Using the pail she'd used to cart the water upstairs, the girl shoveled the dirty liquid out to the alley below.
Once the tub was empty, she pushed it from the room. “Oh, you left so fast when she handed you the key...the madam asked me to inform you there will be a five-gold charge for everything, per night.”